Danger on Deception Island Walkthrough

Welcome to my Danger on Deception Island walk-through. (-: If you're new to my series of low-spoiler computer game walkthroughs, the idea is to point players
towards things they might not have tried in each game rather than giving away puzzle solutions or offering step-by-step instructions.

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These Nancy Drew games are structured a little differently than most graphic adventure games, though. In particular, you can solve most of the game's puzzles in
any order you feel like, making a chronological walkthrough of little use. The physical area Danger on Deception Island is played in is much larger than most games
in the Nancy Drew series, but even so, it makes more sense to use a CRPG-style area guide rather than breaking the game down into chronological chapters.
I've included a checklist of important tasks at the
beginning and one of optional tasks at the end. Note that I don't tell you how to solve any of the puzzles--just where they are. If you've found a puzzle
but just can't seem to get it right no matter what you do, UHS is a good place to go for a
single hint that won't spoil the rest of the game for you.

Danger on Deception Island: Key Tasks

If you find yourself getting stuck in the game, keep in mind that plot advancement is often arbitrary.
If nothing is happening, you need to make sure that you have spoken to everyone until they have nothing
more to say, looked around every area to see if there are any objects you haven't noticed,
and used every object in your inventory. If all those things fail, take a look at this checklist of important tasks you will need to complete to solve the game
(the order is largely up to you):

1) Talk to all the NPC's. Repeatedly. Having certain conversations with them is necessary for the plot to progress.
2) Solve the plumbing puzzle under Katie's sink.
3) Solve the books puzzle in Katie's cabinet.
4) Pass Holt's quiz to get a GPS from him. (You can't complete the quiz till you finish #2, unless you cheat.)
5) Collect four messages in bottles to find the location of the beach. (You can't get all four till you finish #4.)
6) Solve the box puzzle (you can't do this till after finishing #5.)
7) Do a puzzle for Holt (you can't do this till finishing #6.)
8) Collect clams for Jenna and solve a puzzle for her (you can't do this till finishing #6 and #2.)
9) Win a whale ride from Andy (you can't do this till finishing #6 and #2.)
10) Figure out where the wood near the lighthouse came from. (You need to have completed #3 first, and to make a lot of phone calls.)
11) Open a secret door in the Hot Kettle. (This option doesn't become available until, I think, you finish #7, 8, and 9.)
12) Get a flashlight from Katie. (You can't do this until you have completed #11.)
13) Go down into the secret passages and explore them. (You can't do this until you have completed #12.)
14) Sneak into the lighthouse, fix the lamp and send the signal that you were told to. (You cannot do this until you have finished #7, 8 and 9.)
15) Solve Hilda's email and coordinate puzzles until you have acquired a special pair of glasses. (You need to have completed #14 first.)
16) Solve the connected puzzles in the lighthouse and secret passages. (You need to have finished #13 and #14 to do this.)
17) Solve the sea monster puzzle. (You need to have completed #16 and #10 first.)
18) Explore the new sea cave. (You need to have completed #17 first.)
19) Notice Katie's boat is gone, then hitch a ride with Andy to the smugglers' ship. (You need to have completed all 18 previous steps to reach this
point.)
20) Win the endgame sequence, and that's it! You've won!

Danger on Deception Island: Area Guide

Katie's Boat

*This is where you can find Katie, one of the four main NPC's in the game. You'll need to return to talk to her many times in order for the plot to advance.
*Nancy's laptop computer is here. You will need to use this several times to receive email, find information, and solve a puzzle.
*The calendar here is interesting.
*There is a mysterious ice chest in the closet here. Partway through the game it starts leaking water and stinking, and Nancy can then
investigate it more closely.
*Katie has a refrigerator here. You can make a sandwich for either yourself or (later in the game) Katie, but check the ingredients
carefully before using them... some are not fit for human consumption!
*There's a puzzle beneath the sink.
*There's a map you can examine, though it's not very important.
*Katie has a microscope. You'll need to use this at one point in the game.
*There's a book-sorting puzzle in the cabinet by the microscope.
*You can find a threatening letter by the broken GPS.
*You can also manipulate the red button on the steering wheel if you like-- that's just for fun. :-)

The Hot Kettle Cafe

*This is where you can find Jenna and Holt, two of the four main NPC's in the game. You'll need to return to talk to them many times in order for the plot to advance.
*You can sample Jenna's chowder and muffins if you like. (This is just for fun.)
*There are some posters around the room that will be of use in solving certain puzzles you will encounter.
*There is a sea monster book you can read to learn more about the local monster legend.
*There's a card game puzzle built into the walls, but you cannot solve it at first.

Whale World

*This is where you can find Andy, one of the four main NPC's in the game. You'll need to return to talk to him many times in order for the plot to advance.
*There's a poster on the wall here with information you will need.
*The small museum has five games in it which you will need to complete in order to win a whale watching tour (which you will need to do at some point.)

The Lighthouse Area

*You can't get into the lighthouse at first-- try it and see what happens (it's not fatal.)
*You can collect crabs, clams, and rocks from the sand outside the lighthouse, though.
*There's an important item that can be found outside the lighthouse, and another item that is not necessary to the game but is interesting.
*There's a puzzle that yields a plot item if you succeed at it.

The Sea

*Paddling around here you can retrieve three important plot items.
*After you've solved some puzzles to discover new coordinates, you can find the Beach area and some other plot items.

The Beach

*There is an important item plot hidden on this beach.
*This is also the best place to go clamming. Carefully cross the rocks to the sandbar to find the clams you need.

The Secret Tunnels

*There's a puzzle down here, a useful object, and some interesting trapdoors.
*There's also a funny sign down here-- keep your eye out. :-)

The Lighthouse

*Once you are able to get inside the lighthouse, there is a puzzle in here, a useful object, and a lamp you can use for signaling.

The Hidden Sea Cave

*Examine the interesting objects in here, but Nancy will not take them.
*A major plot development will occur here.

The Smugglers' Ship

*This is the endgame and the only thing you could possibly miss is that it's possible to examine one of the boxes of smuggled goods
to see what is inside.

*Tried the clam chowder and the muffins at the Hot Kettle Cafe?
*Looked at all the disgusting things in Katie's refrigerator? (Including canned jellyfish and a 9-year-old jar of moldy gray mayonnaise?)
*Built a sand castle on the beach?
*Deduced something illegal that Katie is doing and confronted her about it?
*Learned the truth about the history of shanghaiing in town?
*Played with the beach ball with the orca?